GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Almost one-fourth of the city’s planned capital spending in the upcoming fiscal year is targeted on separating sanitary and storm sewer lines that currently are combined.

A proposed budget earmarks $9.2 million for two combined-sewer projects.

One of the areas scheduled for sewer work suffered flash flooding last week as a burst of rain overwhelmed catch basins that run to a combined sanitary-storm line, said Mike Lunn, the city’s director of environmental services.

“I don’t know that it will prevent (future flooding) because there was a rainfall intensity of about 3.5 inches an hour (on May 20), but what it will change in that area is right now out front of the Waters (House Apartments) there is a combined sanitary and storm sewer that can only take so much flow,” he said.

“We’re going to go through there and make it a separate sanitary sewer and a separate storm sewer, and we’ll make it a larger storm sewer.”

Grand Rapids over the past two decades has spent $240 million in sewer funds – plus another $80 million to $100 million from other city funds - on the separation projects being required by the feds to reduce sewage overflows into the Grand River. Projects on tap for later this year or early 2014 will work on sections of College, Gay, Lafayette, Prospect and Union avenues, Fulton and Washington streets and Stanley Terrace.

The city’s capital plan for 2015 calls for another $4.9 million in combined-sewer separation on parts of Buchanan, Home, Ionia, Lafayette, North and Randolph avenues, LaBelle, Mariette, Quimby, Rena and Spencer streets and Berlin Court.

You can check out the rest of the city’s budgeted capital spending for 2014 here. And here’s a look at some projects being planned for the following four years:

2015: $1.9 million for a 500,000-gallon water tank in Walker, north of I-96; $2 million for a new 16-inch water main in 4 Mile Road, from Fruit Ridge to Walker avenues, to serve the new tank; $250,000 to buy land for a new Chester Fire Station
2016: $400,000 on elevator controls at the police department; $200,000 on renovations to City Commission chambers; $448,000 on new windows and roof at the city’s Development Center offices, 1120 Monroe Ave. NW; $250,000 for elevator replacement at the city’s Public Works facilities, 201 Market St. SW; $300,000 for replacement of heating and cooling equipment at the Development Center; $250,000 to buy land for Division Avenue Fire Station; $1 million to replace 5 DASH buses

2017: $1.2 million in repairs at the public works complex; $200,000 to replace window blinds at City Hall; $400,000 to replace elevators at the Development Center; $500,000 to buy land for a consolidated fire administration center